Visible card index and signal



`J. W. EDDY VISIBLE CARD INDEX AND SIGNAL May 6, 1952 Filed Dec. 6, 1949 Bnnentor Patented May 6, 1952 2,595,648 VISIBLE CARD INDEX AND SIGNAL John W. Eddy, Renton,

tion of Delaware Wash., assignor to Remington Rand Inc., New York, N. Y., a corpora- Application December 6, 1949, Serial No. 131,360

a claims. l

This invention relates to improvements in a visible card index and signal of the character illustrated in Patent 1,614,021, patented January 11, 1927.

According to the invention, a visible card index has a transparent Celluloid sheath embracing the free visible margin of an index card or holder with a portion overlying opposite sides of the visible margin and the fro-nt portion formed with an inturned lip so that a signal with the central portion folded to engage about the front portion and inturned lip of the sheath has an outer end portion extending over the front face of the front portion of the sheath and an inner end portion extending between the sheath and card or holder for sliding movement along the sheath. The signal has projections formed on the inner end portion projecting laterally to engage under the inturned lip on the sheath to normally and slidably retain the signal on the sheath for sliding movement between the opposite ends thereof for signalling cooperation with indicia on theindex card. The inner end of the signal may have a terminal portion projecting laterally and engaging under the free edge of the card and holder within the sheath to additionally cooperate with the projections for retaining the signal in slidable engagement with the sheath. The front portion or outerend of the signal slidably engages over the front surface of the front portion of the sheath and is formed with an outwardly projecting portion intermediate the ends and in spaced relation from the fold to provide a handle adapted for manual engagement to conveniently move the signal along the sheath. In this way, the invention provides a signal construction that can be readily attached and detached from and easily moved along the sheath in which the parts secure a smooth sliding cooperation to prevent catching of the signal on the sheath during the sliding movement. Where a plurality of card holders are mounted in offset overlapping relation to expose a visible margin of each card in visible indexed relation, the sheath on the overlying card holder will extend slightly over the fold portion' of the signal and inturned lip portion on the sheath but will not interfere with manual grasping of the projecting handle portion on the signal and the sliding movement thereof along the sheath. The signal may be eiciently operated without requiring the overlying card holder to be lifted up while the signal is adjusted, as required by other signals now in use.

In the drawing:

2 Fig. 1 shows a fragmentary portion of a card holder in perspective illustrating the signal in assembled relation.

Fig. 2 is a plan view showing fragmentary portions of two card holders to illustrate how an overlying card holder without being lifted cooperates with an -adjacent underlying card holder and at the same time does not interfere with the sliding movement of the signal.

Fig. 3 is a cross-section taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 shows the signal on an enlarged scale in perspective separate from the card holder.

The free marginal portion of the conventional card holder is indicated at I. A transparent sheath 2 is secured in a manner well known in the art on the free marginal portion of card holder I. Sheath 2 has a central fold portion 3 extending about the free edge of holder card I while front and rear portions 4 and 5 respectively, extend over the front and rear faces of the marginal portion of the holder card. The front portion 4 of the sheath has a free edge formed into an inturned lip 6 usually folded inwardly and extending along the inner face of front fold 4 toward fold portion 2. An index card 'I is adapted to be supported on holder card I with the free marginal portion engaged between the holder card and front portion 4 of sheath 2 to provide a visible index margin on the index card protected by the sheath and arranged to have index information applied to the visible margin thereof and exposed through the transparent sheath.

It is customary to provide signals of various types for engagement in sheath 2 over the exposed and indexed marginalportion of holder I and index card l for signalling cooperation with index indicia on the visible margin of index card 1. The index card, card holder and sheath construction as hereinabove described is of conventional form well known in the art and the present invention deals with the construction and assembly of a signal therewith in combination for substantially improving the convenience in attaching and removing of the signal on the sheath and in securing its convenient and easy sliding movement along the sheath in manual adjustment.

The signal formed according to the present invention is indicated at I0. Signal I0 is formed of a length o-f transparent or semitransparent strip material such as Celluloid or the like having a central fold section II with opposite ends extending in substantially spaced parallel relation as clearly shown in Fig. 4. The material of signal I preferably has a color contrasting to that of the index card, indicia thereon and sheath 2. These end portions are formed to provide an outer end portion I2 and an inner end portion I3. The fold section II of signal I0 is engaged about front portion 4 and inturned lip 6 of sheath 2, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3. Rear portion I3 of signal I0 has a pair of laterally extending projections I4 formed to extend toward outer end portion I2 in spaced relation to fold section II in a position to engage under the lower edge of inturned lip 6, as shown in Fig. 3. Through the resiliency of the material of the signal, outer end portion I2 cooperates with inner end portion I3 of signal I0 to effectively and slidably retain signal Ill engaged on the front portion 4 of sheath 2 with projections I4 aligned with lip 6 under the free edge thereof within the sheath.

The inner end portion I3 of signal I0 extends to the lower edge of index card 1, as clearly shown in Fig. 3, Where it is formed with a laterally extending terminal flange portion I5 slidably engaging underv the lower edges of. index card 'I and holder card I. Terminal portion I5 cooperates in retaining signal I0 slidably engaged with sheath 2.

Outer end portion I2 of signal I0 extends over the outer front face of frontportion 4` of sheath 2 with the end terminating adjacent fold portion 3 of the sheath. Outer end portion I2 at a distance below fold section II is formed with an outwardly bent projecting portion I6 of V- shape in cross-section extending forwardly from the front portion 4 of sheath 2 to forma handle so that it may be manuallyY engagedV for sliding the signal along sheath 2.

Where two or morecard holders and index cards are mounted in offset overlappingA relation to expose visible marginal portionsv of index cards l in adjacent relation one beyond the other and protected by sheaths 2, it will be noted, as shown in Figs.' 2 and 3, that an overlying card holder will not have the sheath 2 thereon overlap an underlying cardholder sumciently to interfere with the manual gripping of handle portion i6 of signal I0. As a result, it is unnecessary to lift an overly-ing card holder upwardly in order to manually grip and slidably move signal i9 along the sheath. This overcomes the difliculty in operating previous signals used` with visible card indexes, whichY requires that the overlying card holders be liftedsin order to manually engage the signals to adjust them. In addition, the cooperation of the folded signal structure forming signal IIJ of the presentl invention eliminates catching and bindingl of the signal on parts of the card and sheath with the formation of terminal portion I5 in the form of a flange extending entirely across the end ofr theA signal and two projections I4 engaging the under inner edge of inturned lip 6, so that with the handle portion between theseprojections on the outer side of sheath 2, manual operation to slidev the signal along the sheath will secure a smooth sliding movement Without sticking and in this way materially improve over previous types of signals used on Celluloid sheaths employed on card holders of the character illustrated. Signal I0 may be attached and detached from sheath 2 in a more eicient manner than previously known signals without likelihood of breakage.

The invention claimed is:

l. A visible card index comprising a card, a transparent sheath having a central fold extending about an edge of said card and front and back portions overlying opposite sides of the margin of said card along said edge, said front portion having an inturned lip on the free edge, and a signal formed of a strip having a central fold section extending about said inturned lip, an inner end portion extending from said fold section between said card and front portion to the edge portion of said card, projections formed on said inner end portion extending outwardly and engaging under said inturned lip to slidably retain said signal on said sheath, and an outer end portion of said strip extending over the outer surface of the front portion of said sheath toward said central fold and having an intermediate portion thereof formed into a V-shaped projection extending across that intermediate portion and projecting outwardly from said sheath and forming a handle.

2. A visible card index as claimed in claim l, wherein the signal has the inner end portion extending beyond the edge of said card in said sheath and formed into a laterally extending terminal flange portion slidably engaging said edge of said card for slidablyY and detachably retaining said signal on said sheath.

3. A signal for visible indexes comprising a strip having a central fold section with opposite inner and outer ends extending in opposed spaced relation, said inner end having a projection extending laterally toward the outer end in spaced relation to said fold section and having a laterally extending terminal portion to provide a guide, and said outer end formed with an outwardly extending V-shaped projection forming a handle portion in spaced relation to said fold section.

JOHN W. EDDY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Switzerland 1935 

